We started off Thanksgiving Day by getting up early and heading downtown for the Turkey Trot! I did the 5K, I still do not feel ready to do an 8 mile race.
It was so crowded-- 35,000 participants not including the people (like my family) who just came for moral support. I wanted to take the DART rail downtown so that we wouldn't have to deal with parking. That was a big FAIL. As usual, DART was not prepared to deal with crowds. You would think that when you have a big event downtown and it is being advertised to take the rail downtown that DART might actually be ready. Nope. We went to the park and ride at Mockingbird Station at about 7:45 (race started at 9) because the trains were on a Sunday schedule. Meaning, there would only be two trains going downtown between 7:45 and 9:00. When we got there, we couldn't even purchase a ticket, all the machines were broken. Fail. Then we decide to go down to the platform anyway. Hey, if an official was going to stop us (which they didn't), we tried to buy a ticket! The train pulled up and (big suprise!) it was completely packed. So we gave up and drove downtown.
Guess what? Parking downtown was fine, traffic was not especially bad and there were plenty of lots with spaces available.
I found the starting line and joined the throngs of trotters. It was PACKED, we were squished together like sardines. Nobody could even start running until way past the starting line. I was so annoyed about the crowd. I know it's a family race and I shouldn't try to PR, but I had it in my head I wanted to finish in under 30 minutes, darn it! It was actually fun running downtown, people had set up along the way and there were a couple of live bands.
And to my suprise, I did PR! I finished in 29:37, I was so suprised! You can check out pictures here.
Afterwards, I went to our designated meeting spot to wait for my family. I waited and waited. Finally, I went back to the finish line and there they were, they hadn't even seen me finish! We got some free yogurt and granola, then headed out of downtown to get on with the Thanksgiving celebration.
Michael and I went to McKinney and ate with his side of the family. We had a blast, we ate delicious food and drank lots of champagne. It is just not a Baker holiday without champagne! We had so much fun visiting, but as usual, I did not have my camera with me. I hope I can get some pictures from somebody!
I am so thankful to have my health, my husband and my wonderful family! Thanksgiving is a great chance to reflect on how blessed we are.
I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. The holiday season is fully under way at work and I survived Black Friday weekend. Christmas is just around the corner and I can't wait!
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
La Vie Francaise
My mom, sister and I had a great evening! We went to see Julie and Julia. I read Julie Powell's book as well as My Life in France by Julia Child this summer. I thought the movie was a really great combination of both. I love Meryl Streep, she was fabulous as Julia!
Afterwards, we went to dinner at Toulouse to continue on the French theme. I had never been before and it was amazing! We started with a goat cheese tart which was delicious. I ordered the poulet roti, which came with sauteed spinach and grape tomatoes as well as pommes frites.
We were so stuffed we didn't even look at dessert! I didn't order a drink but I did notice they had a couple of champagnes you could order by the glass, so I will have to remember that next time. I love champagne and it's not often I can order just a glass-- just one is usually all I need!
Ahhh, now all I need is to go to Paris! Laissez les bonnes temps roulez!
Afterwards, we went to dinner at Toulouse to continue on the French theme. I had never been before and it was amazing! We started with a goat cheese tart which was delicious. I ordered the poulet roti, which came with sauteed spinach and grape tomatoes as well as pommes frites.
We were so stuffed we didn't even look at dessert! I didn't order a drink but I did notice they had a couple of champagnes you could order by the glass, so I will have to remember that next time. I love champagne and it's not often I can order just a glass-- just one is usually all I need!
Ahhh, now all I need is to go to Paris! Laissez les bonnes temps roulez!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Austin bound!
A couple weeks ago, I drove to Austin for an early celebration of Tori's graduate school graduation. Her masters program held a beautiful reading at Laguna Gloria, part of the Austin Museum of Art. The space is really beautiful and has an amazing view of Town Lake. Here are a few pictures from the reception afterwards.
Tori read a few poems from her thesis. It was great to get to see her work bound and official-looking and know it will be in UT's library. I am so proud of my little sister!
After the reading, we went to a late dinner at Z'Tejas. We got a yummy new appetizer, artichoke beignetss and, of course, cornbread. I got the Jerk Chicken salad for my entree. I have had it once before and it was as good as I remembered, very spicy!
My parents and I stayed at the Star of Texas Inn right by the UT campus. It was cute and I liked the location. I slept fine because I'm used to noise, but they do offer complimentary ear plugs because of all the fraternity houses nearby.
And because we were so close to campus, I just had to go visit my old stomping grounds at Scottish Rite dormitory (aka SRD). I checked out the cafeteria (no CCB's being served that day unfortunately) and sat by the pool. I miss those days!
Tori read a few poems from her thesis. It was great to get to see her work bound and official-looking and know it will be in UT's library. I am so proud of my little sister!
After the reading, we went to a late dinner at Z'Tejas. We got a yummy new appetizer, artichoke beignetss and, of course, cornbread. I got the Jerk Chicken salad for my entree. I have had it once before and it was as good as I remembered, very spicy!
My parents and I stayed at the Star of Texas Inn right by the UT campus. It was cute and I liked the location. I slept fine because I'm used to noise, but they do offer complimentary ear plugs because of all the fraternity houses nearby.
And because we were so close to campus, I just had to go visit my old stomping grounds at Scottish Rite dormitory (aka SRD). I checked out the cafeteria (no CCB's being served that day unfortunately) and sat by the pool. I miss those days!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Happy Birthday, Dad!
We went out for a family dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday (a little belated). We tried out a fairly new restaurant in our neighborhood, Woodlands.
The food was delicious. I started with a mixed greens salad. It was delicious, I normally hate salad dressing but their citrus vinaigrette was sooo good. For my entree, I ordered the half rosemary chicken with baby vegetables. It was delicious! Michael got the COBALT sandwich, Tori got a center cut filet and both my parents ordered fish. Everyone loved their dinner and there was a lot on the menu that I would like to try.
For dessert we ordered two chocolate desserts: the molten chocolate cake and the chocolate snowball. The snowball was really dry, but the molten chocolate cake was delicious!
We will definitely go back, the atmosphere was really cool. The design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wrights' Fallingwater house. It wasn't super-expensive, it could be a great neighborhood hangout.
The food was delicious. I started with a mixed greens salad. It was delicious, I normally hate salad dressing but their citrus vinaigrette was sooo good. For my entree, I ordered the half rosemary chicken with baby vegetables. It was delicious! Michael got the COBALT sandwich, Tori got a center cut filet and both my parents ordered fish. Everyone loved their dinner and there was a lot on the menu that I would like to try.
For dessert we ordered two chocolate desserts: the molten chocolate cake and the chocolate snowball. The snowball was really dry, but the molten chocolate cake was delicious!
We will definitely go back, the atmosphere was really cool. The design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wrights' Fallingwater house. It wasn't super-expensive, it could be a great neighborhood hangout.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Larry's Big Adventure
Monday night: I got home from work late (almost 1am) and had gotten in a minor traffic accident on the way home. I was freaked out and in a bad mood about having to be back at work at 8am. In addition, our apartment was burning up because the heat was on but it was warm out. Michael had opened the windows and patio to get some breeze going. When I got in bed, I realized I hadn't seen Larry but didn't make much of it.
Tuesday morning: Larry didn't come for breakfast and I got worried. I searched the apartment (it is not unusual for him to get accidentally shut in a closet) but he was nowhere to be found. I got Michael up and we looked outside. I got ready and left for work. When Larry had still not turned up by about noon, I left work. Michael had made up some fliers and talked to our neighbors. I walked the complex with food and catnip. No sign of him.
Wednesday: More searching, more fliers. Still no sign of Larry. Michael and I picked up three new collars and I cried in Wal-Mart because what if we didn't need the third one?
Thursday: I took a quick walk around the back part of the complex, then to the office. The complex employees asked if we had found him yet and told us that the maintenance workers were on the lookout. My mom offered to take me out for the day to cheer me up. We decided to head to the DMA for lunch and the King Tut exhibit. Not long after we entered the exhibit, my mom was digging through her purse and said she couldn't find her wallet. We were retracing our steps as she pulled stuff out of her bag. She looked at her phone and she had a text from Michael: "Tell Becca I found Larry!"
Michael heard meowing and went outside to investigate. Larry was hiding under our downstairs neighbor's grill. Who knows where he had been because he was filthy and scared. Now he is bathed, fed and sleeping in my lap. :)
Note: My mom's wallet turned up in her purse.
Tuesday morning: Larry didn't come for breakfast and I got worried. I searched the apartment (it is not unusual for him to get accidentally shut in a closet) but he was nowhere to be found. I got Michael up and we looked outside. I got ready and left for work. When Larry had still not turned up by about noon, I left work. Michael had made up some fliers and talked to our neighbors. I walked the complex with food and catnip. No sign of him.
Wednesday: More searching, more fliers. Still no sign of Larry. Michael and I picked up three new collars and I cried in Wal-Mart because what if we didn't need the third one?
Thursday: I took a quick walk around the back part of the complex, then to the office. The complex employees asked if we had found him yet and told us that the maintenance workers were on the lookout. My mom offered to take me out for the day to cheer me up. We decided to head to the DMA for lunch and the King Tut exhibit. Not long after we entered the exhibit, my mom was digging through her purse and said she couldn't find her wallet. We were retracing our steps as she pulled stuff out of her bag. She looked at her phone and she had a text from Michael: "Tell Becca I found Larry!"
Michael heard meowing and went outside to investigate. Larry was hiding under our downstairs neighbor's grill. Who knows where he had been because he was filthy and scared. Now he is bathed, fed and sleeping in my lap. :)
Note: My mom's wallet turned up in her purse.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!
We had a great day visiting with friends and family. We started off the day by sleeping in (always a treat!), then made our way to the Bakers' house to visit. Then we headed off to Blair and Amy's house, where they were hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family (the Sharpes) and Blair's family (the Brennans). The Sharpes and Brennans go way back, the kids grew up together and we used to meet up in Austin for Thanksgiving every year until the Brennans moved to Virginia. Now they are back in Texas so we started up the tradition again. We had some new additions this year, Blair and I have both gotten married since we last had Thanksgiving together; Amy's best friend Travis also joined us; and my grandfather Faulk drove up from Jacksonville. Jennye and Chad are amazing cooks, we left stuffed!
Here are some pictures:
Have you heard about the bird?
And of course the best part about Thanksgiving is the food! This year I made sweet potato casserole as well as spinach artichoke dip. (However, the spinach artichoke dip was so delicious it didn't quite make it to Thanksgiving dinner.) I also made a chocolate pecan pie; Monika (of sushiandchocolate.com) gave me the recipe a few years ago and it has become a favorite.
I am so thankful for our wonderful family and friends!
We had a great day visiting with friends and family. We started off the day by sleeping in (always a treat!), then made our way to the Bakers' house to visit. Then we headed off to Blair and Amy's house, where they were hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family (the Sharpes) and Blair's family (the Brennans). The Sharpes and Brennans go way back, the kids grew up together and we used to meet up in Austin for Thanksgiving every year until the Brennans moved to Virginia. Now they are back in Texas so we started up the tradition again. We had some new additions this year, Blair and I have both gotten married since we last had Thanksgiving together; Amy's best friend Travis also joined us; and my grandfather Faulk drove up from Jacksonville. Jennye and Chad are amazing cooks, we left stuffed!
Here are some pictures:
Have you heard about the bird?
And of course the best part about Thanksgiving is the food! This year I made sweet potato casserole as well as spinach artichoke dip. (However, the spinach artichoke dip was so delicious it didn't quite make it to Thanksgiving dinner.) I also made a chocolate pecan pie; Monika (of sushiandchocolate.com) gave me the recipe a few years ago and it has become a favorite.
I am so thankful for our wonderful family and friends!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Mama June
In Loving Memory
Peggy June Landrum
6/4/1937 -10/28/2008
Mrs. Landrum passed away Tuesday, October 28, 2008 in Jacksonville.
She was born June 4, 1937 in Quitman, TX. to Arthur Adkins King and Lila May Gilbreath King.
Mrs. Landrum was a member of First United Methodist Church, Jacksonville where she attended Seeker’s Sunday School and United Methodist Women, where she was a former president, directed Methodist children’s camps and worked with MYF. She and her husband were foster parents to more than ten children, hosted many foreign and exchange students in their home, and was one of the founding members of the Women’s Crisis Center in Jacksonville.
She is preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Lila King and her sister Joy Hinton.
Survivors include husband Rev. Dr. Faulk Landrum of Jacksonville; daughter Beverly Landrum Sharpe and husband Michael of Dallas; sons David Arthur Landrum and wife Quigley of Portland, OR. and Daniel Faulk Landrum of Chappell Hill, TX.; brother Dr. Joe Mac King and wife Louise of Dallas; and 2 granddaughters Lila Rebecca Baker and husband Michael of Dallas and Mary Victoria Sharpe of Austin.
Pallbearers will be Rev. Jack Albright, Rev. Fred Lang, Rev. Jimmie Reese, Rev. Tom Holcomb, Rev. Don Post, Bob Buckingham, Jimmy Going and Casey Beach.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 30, 2008 at Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Peggy June Landrum
6/4/1937 -10/28/2008
Mrs. Landrum passed away Tuesday, October 28, 2008 in Jacksonville.
She was born June 4, 1937 in Quitman, TX. to Arthur Adkins King and Lila May Gilbreath King.
Mrs. Landrum was a member of First United Methodist Church, Jacksonville where she attended Seeker’s Sunday School and United Methodist Women, where she was a former president, directed Methodist children’s camps and worked with MYF. She and her husband were foster parents to more than ten children, hosted many foreign and exchange students in their home, and was one of the founding members of the Women’s Crisis Center in Jacksonville.
She is preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Lila King and her sister Joy Hinton.
Survivors include husband Rev. Dr. Faulk Landrum of Jacksonville; daughter Beverly Landrum Sharpe and husband Michael of Dallas; sons David Arthur Landrum and wife Quigley of Portland, OR. and Daniel Faulk Landrum of Chappell Hill, TX.; brother Dr. Joe Mac King and wife Louise of Dallas; and 2 granddaughters Lila Rebecca Baker and husband Michael of Dallas and Mary Victoria Sharpe of Austin.
Pallbearers will be Rev. Jack Albright, Rev. Fred Lang, Rev. Jimmie Reese, Rev. Tom Holcomb, Rev. Don Post, Bob Buckingham, Jimmy Going and Casey Beach.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 30, 2008 at Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Holy Cow!
I can't believe it's been October since I've posted!
Well, our holidays are never terribly exciting, working in retail I spend most of the Christmas season at work! We did get together with family on Christmas Day for brunch at the Four Seasons. Here is a picture of us with Michael's sister Emily and her husband Russ.
Brunch at the Four Seasons has become a holiday tradition for both of our families. I believe it was started by Michael's grandparents (Paul and Mary) but was continued by Michael's parents. They invited my family along and my family never misses out on a chance to eat a fancy meal at a fancy hotel! Last year my mom and I were terribly sick and didn't really get to enjoy it. This year we more than made up for not enjoying last year!
We also had a book exchange at Paul and Mary's home. What a great idea for a Christmas gift exchange! I got The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge. I love anything related to brain science and this book is extremely interesting. The human brain is an amazing thing. :)
In other news, my grandmother spent Christmas in the hospital, she was in the hospital for about a month. For those of you who don't know, Martha Ann is battling cancer for the second time and is not reacting too well to the chemotherapy. But thankfully she is back at home and feeling better.
In pampering news, my mom and I visited the Bliss spa at the W hotel in downtown Dallas as part of my Christmas gift. What a great experience, I will definitely be back!
And my very favorite gift...
An 80GB Zune! I'm beyond obsessed!
Well, our holidays are never terribly exciting, working in retail I spend most of the Christmas season at work! We did get together with family on Christmas Day for brunch at the Four Seasons. Here is a picture of us with Michael's sister Emily and her husband Russ.
Brunch at the Four Seasons has become a holiday tradition for both of our families. I believe it was started by Michael's grandparents (Paul and Mary) but was continued by Michael's parents. They invited my family along and my family never misses out on a chance to eat a fancy meal at a fancy hotel! Last year my mom and I were terribly sick and didn't really get to enjoy it. This year we more than made up for not enjoying last year!
We also had a book exchange at Paul and Mary's home. What a great idea for a Christmas gift exchange! I got The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge. I love anything related to brain science and this book is extremely interesting. The human brain is an amazing thing. :)
In other news, my grandmother spent Christmas in the hospital, she was in the hospital for about a month. For those of you who don't know, Martha Ann is battling cancer for the second time and is not reacting too well to the chemotherapy. But thankfully she is back at home and feeling better.
In pampering news, my mom and I visited the Bliss spa at the W hotel in downtown Dallas as part of my Christmas gift. What a great experience, I will definitely be back!
And my very favorite gift...
An 80GB Zune! I'm beyond obsessed!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Happy Birthday, Tori!
Congratulation on turning 23! ;)
To celebrate my little sister's birthday, we went to another family favorite: McCormick and Schmick's at Northpark. (http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/) We love going there because they will print up special menus for you if you let them know ahead of time that you are celebrating something.
I got grilled Alaskan halibut with lemon butter, mashed potatoes and grilled carrots and asparagus. It was so delicious, I had never had halibut before but I loved the flakiness. (Last time we were there I ordered swordfish and was so surprised about the texture! It was like eating a steak.) My salad was seasonal greens with candied walnuts, blue cheese, and some kind of citrusy vinaigrette. I also tried a little bit of my mom's grilled rainbow trout, it came with a wonderful chive butter. My dad got Texas fried catfish and french fries. Tori got Oscar steak and said it was very good. For dessert I had a bite of the twice baked apple pie and cinnamon ice cream (so good!) and my family also raved about the key lime pie. I was too stuffed to eat much else for dessert, but next time I have to try the Rocky Road brownie sundae.
To celebrate my little sister's birthday, we went to another family favorite: McCormick and Schmick's at Northpark. (http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/) We love going there because they will print up special menus for you if you let them know ahead of time that you are celebrating something.
I got grilled Alaskan halibut with lemon butter, mashed potatoes and grilled carrots and asparagus. It was so delicious, I had never had halibut before but I loved the flakiness. (Last time we were there I ordered swordfish and was so surprised about the texture! It was like eating a steak.) My salad was seasonal greens with candied walnuts, blue cheese, and some kind of citrusy vinaigrette. I also tried a little bit of my mom's grilled rainbow trout, it came with a wonderful chive butter. My dad got Texas fried catfish and french fries. Tori got Oscar steak and said it was very good. For dessert I had a bite of the twice baked apple pie and cinnamon ice cream (so good!) and my family also raved about the key lime pie. I was too stuffed to eat much else for dessert, but next time I have to try the Rocky Road brownie sundae.
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